Get Organized for the New School Year

Goodbye to the lazy, hazy days of summer, and hello again to schedules, deadlines, homework, and general disorganization.

Stop! Not this year! Here are three ways to keep everyone in your household organized and on top of schoolwork and schedules when classes start again.

Cubbies:
Cubbies are your friends. Use them to organize backpacks and school supplies, homework to be checked, papers for parents to sign, and items to return to school. If they're near the front door, you're more likely to remember to grab the stuff you need on the way out.

Supplies:
Stock up on poster board, markers, glue sticks, glitter, index cards, and other project necessities so that last-minute rush doesn't involve leaving the house with bunny slippers on.

Planners:
Older kids can be taught to use a week-at-a-glance planner to ensure they stick to their schedules. For younger kids, and for big families who need to coordinate multiple schedules, a whiteboard in a central location — think kitchen or front hallway — with the week's schedule, plus notes on upcoming appointments, can be extremely helpful

Getting organized now will keep your days running smoothly and decrease the stress you may already feel when you think about lunches, PTA meetings, healthy breakfasts, and carting the kids all around town. Wishing you and your family a successful back-to-school transition!